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Cocaine
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Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Pure cocaine was first extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, in the mid-19th century. In the early 1900s, it became the main stimulant drug used in most of the tonics/elixirs that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. It quickly became popular as an ingredient in patent medicines (throat lozenges, tonics, etc.) and other products (e.g., Coca Cola, from which it was later removed). Concern soon mounted due to instances of addiction, psychotic behavior, convulsion, and death. A series of steps, including passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, were taken to combat health and behavioral problems associated with the use of cocaine and other drugs.
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Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant, often giving the user an initial feeling of euphoria. This feeling is typically followed by a feeling of depression. Cocaine use can ... cause people to become violent or act erratically or paranoid; and they may experience hallucinations, confusion, anxiety, and a loss of interest in basic needs, such as food or sex. Cocaine can cause loss of concentration, irritability, and a loss of memory. It can impair judgment, which may lead to dangerous behaviors, such as unprotected sex, using a dirty needle, driving while under its influence, and violence. Cocaine interferes with the absorption of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement.
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Cocaine use in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. In the second half of the last century, cocaine consumption in North America rose rapidly; by the late 1980s, 30 million people were cocaine users and 6 million were cocaine addicts. In the United States, 5 million people take cocaine regularly, and every day approximately 5000 people try cocaine for the first time. Estimates in the 1990s suggested that 30-40 million Americans have some experience with cocaine and that 1 of every 2 persons aged 25-30 years has used the drug. The incidence of neurological complications is not known.
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Cocaine use has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. By 1986 it was estimated that nearly 40% of people between the ages of 25 and 30 years had tried cocaine (Gawin and Ellinwood). At various hospitals across the country, pregnant women have been interviewed about their use of drugs. Between 10% and 20% of pregnant women admit to using cocaine sometime during pregnancy.
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Cocaine shipments from South America transported through Mexico or Central America are generally moved overland or by air to staging sites in northern Mexico. The cocaine is then broken down into smaller loads for smuggling across the U.S.Mexico border. The primary cocaine importation points in the United States are in Arizona, southern California, southern Florida, and Texas. Usually land vehicles are driven across the Southwest Border. Colombian traffickers have ... started using a new concealment method whereby they add chemical compounds to cocaine hydrochloride to produce "black cocaine." The cocaine in this substance is not detected by standard chemical tests or drug-sniffing canines.
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Cocaine, a drug that resembles white powder, often makes the user feel alert, confident, talkative, and strong. Cocaine use is most prevalent among males between the ages of 18 and 25. Its effects last for about 45 minutes. On the streets, cocaine may be diluted with cornstarch, talcum powder, sugar, or other drugs. Because cocaine is extremely addictive, the first-time user cannot possibly predict when loss of control will occur. Street names for cocaine are coke, snow, blow, Peruvian marching powder, or C.
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Cocaine